Iraola on coaching doubts, honesty and Valverde influence

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has opened up on his path into management, his approach to squad communication and the coach who shaped his philosophy, in a wide-ranging conversation with former Reds midfielder Thiago Alcantara at the AXA Training Centre.

Iraola admitted he was far from certain about entering coaching as his playing career wound down in the mid-2010s. "I didn't have it very clear that I wanted to become a coach. I wanted to try, but I wasn't fully convinced," he told Thiago, adding that the uncertainty left him prepared to fail and learn from setbacks.

"From those downs is when you learn and you improve for the next time," Iraola said. "But in that trajectory, you ask every manager – even the most successful ones will have moments where they are thinking, 'This is not for me.' For sure."

The 44-year-old, who has overseen four wins from four in an unbeaten start to the 2026-27 campaign, said victories carry meaning beyond the pitch. "A lot of times when you win games, I think the people that work with us here don't receive the recognition," he said, citing kitchen staff, laundry workers and boot-room staff. "When you feel that they are happy, that they enjoy it, I feel lucky to be in this position."

On squad management, Iraola said he favours direct honesty over reassuring players with promises he may not keep. "I prefer to tell him, 'Hey, you have to fight for your position,'" he explained. "It's not because I will give you a present with your minutes. You have to take the minutes from another player and it's how it should work."

When asked to name his primary coaching influence, Iraola pointed to Ernesto Valverde, under whom he played twice at Athletic Club. "If you ask me for one name, I always put Valverde as a reference," he said. "Sometimes it's just having the common sense; the benefit of the team, the benefit of the group. I think Ernesto had a lot of those things that I tried to use."

Iraola also revealed a strict personal rule around padel, a game he plays with his backroom staff during downtime at the training ground. "If we haven't won the last game, we don't allow ourselves the time to play," he said.